Although automatic mechanical washing has been widely accepted and used nowadays, there are still many situations where people need to do hand-washing, such as the washing needs for delicate garments, dishes and/or items which need special care. Indeed, in many developing countries, consumers' washing habit for laundry is to wash their garments with either non-automated top loaded washing machines (i.e. apparatus which comprises two separated tubs, one for washing or rinsing, and one for spinning), or in basins or buckets. The washing in basins or buckets and non-automated top loaded washing machines may involve the steps of washing with detergent, wringing or spinning, and rinsing one or more times with water.
Sudsing profile of a detergent composition, including but not be limited to speed and volume of suds generated upon dissolving the detergent composition in a washing solution, retention of suds during the washing cycle and ease in rinsing the suds in the rinsing cycle is highly valued by consumers doing hand-washing and non-automated top loaded laundry machine-washing. Suds are viewed by such consumers as an important signal that a detergent is “working” and is an active driver of accomplishing their cleaning objectives. Thus, a rapidly generated high volume of suds and well retained suds during washing cycle are highly preferred. On the other hand, high volumes of suds in the washing cycle typically results in suds being carried over to the rinse bath solution and requiring additional time, energy and water to thoroughly rinse the laundered or cleaned items. Accordingly, quick collapse of suds in a rinsing solution is another preferred aspect of the sudsing profile of a detergent composition.
Also, a commonly known and widely used high suds detergent in the art typically comprises a high level of surfactant and builder, such as more than 15% of surfactant and more than 10% of builder. Recently, the impact of excessive use of such raw materials and their impact on the environment has become a serious concern as such materials exhaust non-renewable natural resources and may ultimately be discharged into the environment, such as into rivers and lakes. Further, there is a critical need to minimize the use of petrochemical based materials and increase the use renewable and biodegradable materials to improve the environmental impact of detergent chemicals. Hence, there is still a need for a detergent composition having reduced level of surfactant and/or builder, or even without builder. However, one difficulty in meeting this need is that the reduction of surfactant and/or builder in a detergent composition significantly deteriorates the sudsing profile of the detergent composition; for example, the suds generation speed and volume of suds generated is low, and suds are not well retained during the washing cycle, since hydrophobic soils (grease, oils) and hydrophilic soils (clay particulates) dispersed in the washing solution depress suds. Such a detergent composition with poor sudsing profile can be unacceptable to consumers who highly value the sudsing profile of the detergent composition.
Other detergent products such as, for example, hard surface cleaners, such as dish washing detergents, and those used in the health and beauty areas, including shampoos and soaps, may also benefit from products having improved sudsing properties.
Accordingly, there remains a need in the art of polymeric materials, specifically biopolymer materials, for new and improved suds or foam forming, retention, boosting and/stabilization components in cleaning compositions. In addition, cleaning composition having improved suds boosting and stabilization such that the suds or foam levels are maintained for extended periods are also desired. Further, there remains critical need for a suds boosting and stabilizing biopolymer for a detergent composition containing a reduced level of total surfactant and/or builders while the sudsing profile of the detergent composition is not apparently deteriorated, i.e. a high volume of suds is generated quickly upon dissolving the detergent composition in a washing solution and suds is well-retained during washing cycle.